Balancing Solitude and Social Life by Rosie Genova from QueryTracker. Peek: "Writing is a solitary art, but we are social animals. We have spouses, partners, parents, and children, and those relationships can sometimes be at odds with our work."

Interview: Melissa Coats with Brilliance Audio from Wastepaper Prose. Peek: " I don’t feel that audiobooks appeal only to a specific subset of young readers. In my experience, the appeal of audiobooks is more about exposure, than a specific type of young listener."

Introducing Fantasy Elements by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: "The missing piece is often what happens immediately after the introduction of the paranormal element. That’s what actually teaches us about what kind of world you’re creating."

Author Interview: Tara Sullivan on Golden Boy by Janet S. Fox from Through the Wardrobe. Peek: "Sadly, though Golden Boy is...based on reality. ...I came across a news story that told about the kidnapping, mutilation, and murder of African albinos for use as good luck talismans, I was horrified, and struck by the topic on multiple levels."

Timelines: Plotting by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Peek: "Obviously, a time line lays out the time period of your novel. Does it take place in 24 hours or does it span 24 years? Within that time span, you’ll want to slot events, reactions, and characters."

What Rivers and Jackhammers Have in Common with the Writing Process from Robin LaFevers.Peek: "I’ve heard it said that you can never cross the same river twice, which I take to essentially mean that the fluid nature of water and the ever-changing flotsam and jetsam that is floating in a river at any given time changes constantly so therefore a new river is created every few seconds. I find this true for writing."

Writing for the Long Haul by Sherwood Smith from Janni Lee Simner at Desert Dispatches. Peek: "My feeling is that the author in 'midcareer' (and I firmly believe that many of us will consider ourselves to be in midcareer until they find us face down at our desk, our lifeless, withered hands loose on the keyboard) must sometimes work to keep inspiration alive. It will probably be a different type of inspiration that moved us to write than when we were young. And that’s okay."

Divya Srinivasan and the Introverted Octopus by Julie Danielson from Kirkus Reviews. Peek: "As I learned about octopuses and their behavior (solitary, curious, observant, quick to hide when discovered), I imagined a character that I could relate to in many ways. For instance, I can be pretty self-conscious around others sometimes, but when I'm alone I feel free to be myself without worry. And though I enjoy being
social, I equally need a lot of time alone."

Colorado Librarians Announce Bell Picture Book Award Program by Karyn M. Peterson from School Library Journal. Peek: "'...my hope that publishers see how their books are used by libraries and children to foster literacy—and that they continue to offer talented writers and illustrators a platform for sharing their wonderful ideas.'"

Fighting the Summer Slow-Down with a Fast Draft by Ash Krafton from QueryTracker.com. Peek: "Sandy organized a team of writers who wanted to get the work done but, perhaps, like me, didn’t trust themselves enough to do it alone. The plan involved setting a week aside for the Fast Draft, to write in sprints of 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day, to communicate our goals and progress on Twitter, and to cheer each other on."

Morganville: The Series: a Kickstarter campaign to finance a high-quality web TV series based on the international bestselling Morganville Vampires novels by Rachel Caine. Peek: "Writer/Producer Rachel Caine is a proven quantity--40 novels published, multiple bestsellers, and she's on board to write the entire first season of episodes. (The first two are already done.)"

Congratulations to fellow Austinite Donna Bowman Bratton on the sale of her first book, Step Right Up: The Story of Beautiful Jim Key, to Lee & Low! From Publishers Marketplace: "...the biography of a former slave and self-taught veterinarian who, armed only with patience and kindness, taught a horse to spell, write, and do math, and together they became powerful advocates for the emerging animal humane movement..."

Huge thanks to Sarah Prineas for her assistance in updating the state awards section of Children's & YA Lit Resources! Expect a full site update by summer's end, courtesy of my new webmaster, Erik Kuntz of Square Bear Studio.

Tune in this weekend for a report on the Asian Festival of Children's Content from Cynsations reporter Christopher Cheng, and then Cynsations will go on summer hiatus in July-August. During that time, you are still welcome to pitch and send ideas for guest posts, new voice interviews, guest interviews, book trailer reveals, giveaways, etc. to run in the fall. Contact me directly with details.

About

New York Times & Publishers Weekly best-selling, award-winning author the Tantalize series, the Feral series and other critically acclaimed fiction for young readers. MFA Faculty, Vermont College of Fine Arts. Board member, We Need Diverse Books. Ohonvyetv!